Monday, March 30, 2015

Video: 9-year-old Fort Mill native nets amazing center-ice goal like it's no big deal


Check out this video of 9-year-old Karleigh Nalette becoming the first fan ever to find the back of the net during the Charlotte Checkers' "Shoot to Win" contest this past Friday.

Karleigh, who is from Fort Mill, South Carolina, got the chance to participate in the Killingsworth Komfort Air shootout between periods and provided the highlight of the night on a day the Checkers fell 3-2 to the Lake Erie Monsters.

The goal earned Karleigh a new iPhone 6, but it's her "I do this kind of thing all the time" reaction that has this video rapidly growing in popularity.

The Checkers have run this promotion for the last two seasons and you can just tell that she never had a doubt.

High-five? Meh, sure.

(Yahoo's Puck Daddy hockey blog first posted this video)

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Game 69: Lake Erie Monsters at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Sunday, 1 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers (28-34-5-1), Monsters (29-26-6-4)

After falling behind by two goals to the Lake Erie Monsters on Friday, the Checkers nearly rallied back late, but a controversial no-goal call in the final minute spoiled their comeback.

The Checkers, who fell 3-2 on Friday, will look to avenge that loss this afternoon in their final showdown with the Monsters this season. The Monsters have won each of their last two games against Charlotte. Sunday's game continues a six-game home stand for the Checkers that runs until April 12.

“We had our push; it was just a little too late there,” said Brock McGinn, who netted his 13th goal of the season in Friday's loss. “It’s not just a play at the end of the game there that (decides a game). We just need to focus on playing a full 60 minutes and not leaving it down to that last minute.”

*Immediately following today's game, a team of fire/medic personnel will face off against a police/sheriff team in a charity game that is free for all who were already in attendance.

Recent Transactions: The Checkers recalled rookie Carter Sandlak from the ECHL's Florida Everblades on Sunday.

*News broke on Friday that defenseman Josh Wesley, the son of former Canes' legend Glen, will join the Checkers sometime this week. Wesley, 19, became the first North Carolina-developed NHL draft pick when the Hurricanes took him in the fourth round in 2014. Rumor has it that he is already in Charlotte.

Notes: With five goals in his last four games, center Brody Sutter has doubled his goal output from the first 36 games of the season. He has seven total points during his recent four-game run. Sutter's current four-game point streak (5g, 2a) is the longest of his career, eclipsing a three-game run (0g, 3a) set from Dec. 27-30 of last season. ... With 13 points in his last 13 games, Trevor Carrick currently leads all Charlotte defensemen in goals (six), assists (21) and points (27), all of which are new records for a Checkers rookie defenseman. ... Dating back to Feb. 22, the Checkers have converted 14 of 57 power-play opportunities (24.6 percent). As a result, their power play has risen out of the league's lowest-ranked spot it had occupied since Dec. 14 and now ranks 28th in the AHL at 13.6 percent. ... The Checkers have more wins in March (6-4-0) than in any other month. Their 12 points tie January (5-6-2) for the most of any month. ... Drew MacIntyre enters Sunday one shy of 400-career AHL games.

Checkers lines: 

Zach Boychuk-Brody Sutter-Chad LaRose
Brock McGinn-Brendan Woods- Justin Shugg
Phil Di Giuseppe-Ben Holmstrom-Patrick Brown
Kyle Hagel-Sean Dolan-Jared Staal

Trevor Carrick-Beau Schmitz
Dennis Robertson-Mike Cornell
Jordan Henry-Keegan Lowe

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse
Rasmus Tirronen

Healthy scratches: Austin Levi, Alex Aleardi, Carter Sandlak.

Injured/out: Greg Nemisz (knee) 

Friday, March 27, 2015

Game 68: Lake Erie Monsters at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Friday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio info: TWC 323 / AHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers (28-33-5-1), Monsters (28-26-6-4)

The Charlotte Checkers return home to take on Lake Erie riding a season-best three-game winning streak after a 3-2 victory over the Admirals in Norfolk, Va., on Wednesday. Brody Sutter scored twice in Wednesday’s win to extend his current goal streak to three games, putting him one shy of the longest by a Checkers player (Brock McGinn) this season. Drew MacIntyre made 34 saves to earn his 211th AHL win, tying him for ninth all-time.

Recent Transactions: The Checkers have been busy in this regard as of late...

Goaltender Rasmus Tirronen, an undrafted native of Finland, signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes last Sunday after finishing his collegiate career at Merrimack College. In his senior year with Merrimack, Tirronen set the program's single-season record for save percentage (.929) while posting a 2.30 goals-against average. He ended his career with the fourth-most all-time wins in school history. Tirronen is currently in Charlotte and participated in the Checkers morning skate.

Former University of New Hampshire defenseman Brett Pesce signed an entry-level deal with the Hurricanes on Friday and is expected to report to Charlotte later this week. A third-round pick in the 2013 draft, Pesce spent three seasons at UNH, totaling 43 points (11g, 32a) in 110 games. He finished second among the team's defenseman in scoring this past season with 16 points in 31 games.

Plymouth Whalers goalie Alex Nedeljkovic also signed an entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and has been assigned to Charlotte for the remainder of the season. A second-round pick by Carolina in the 2014 draft, Nedeljkovic has played three seasons in the OHL with Plymouth, posting 65-57-16 record with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Regardless of how well he plays, Nedeljkovic -- who is still just 19 years old -- does not meet the age-minimum for the AHL and won't be eligible to play for the Checkers next season.

News also broke on Friday that defenseman Josh Wesley, a teammate of Nedeljkovic's in Plymouth and son of former Canes' legend Glen Wesley, will also be making the trip to Charlotte. Wesley, 19, became the first North Carolina-developed NHL draft pick when the Hurricanes took him in the fourth round in 2014.

Notes: With 12 points in his last 12 games, Checkers rookie defenseman Trevor Carrick has emerged as an offensive threat. He currently leads all Charlotte blue-liners in goals (six) and assists (20), both records for a Checkers’ rookie defenseman. Of Carrick’s five multipoint games this season, four have occurred since March 1. … Friday’s game marks the first of six straight home contests for the Checkers, who are 17-13-1-1 at Time Warner Cable Arena this season. … Defenseman Keegan Lowe returned to the Charlotte lineup on Wednesday after missing 11 games with an injury. ... Chad LaRose, who turned 33 today, has one goal and one assist since making an unexpectedly early return from injury three games ago. ... The Checkers are offering an extra 10 percent off all merchandise (already 40-percent off) to fans who wear purple (to raise awareness for domestic violence prevention) to Friday’s game.

Checkers lines: 

Zach Boychuk-Brody Sutter-Chad LaRose
Brock McGinn-Brendan Woods- Justin Shugg
Phil Di Giuseppe-Ben Holmstrom-Patrick Brown
Kyle Hagel-Sean Dolan-Jared Staal

Trevor Carrick-Beau Schmitz
Dennis Robertson-Mike Cornell
Jordan Henry-Keegan Lowe

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse
Rasmus Tirronen

Healthy scratches: Austin Levi, Alex Aleardi

Injured/out: Greg Nemisz (knee) 

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Game 61: Grand Rapids Griffins at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Thursday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers (23-31-5-1), Griffins (36-17-6-1)

The Charlotte Checkers, who narrowly missed sending Tuesday night's game to overtime thanks to a strong push with Drew MacIntyre off for an extra attacker, gave the hottest team in the AHL just about all they could handle in an eventual 3-2 loss.

Rookie left wing Brock McGinn continued his torrid offensive pace with the Checkers' first goal on Tuesday. The 21-year-old second-round pick now has seven points (6g, 1a) over his last 10 games and 20 points (11g, 9a) on the season.

Tonight is the second of four games this week for the Checkers. Following this series with the Rapids, the team will head on a season-long six-game road trip, starting with a pair of games in Oklahoma City.

Recent Transactions: The Checkers released Gabriel Desjardins from his PTO on Wednesday.

Notes: The Griffins win over the Checkers on Tuesday ran their current point streak to 16 games. That matches the longest such streak in the franchise's history and is the longest in the AHL since the 2011-12 season. ... Grand Rapids rookie Andrea Athanasiou, who scored a highlight-reel goal on Tuesday, now has 13 goals on the season. ... Zach Boychuk (10-7-17) has points in five-straight games and 10 over his last 11 contests. ... Rookie Trevor Carrick (6-13-19) leads all Checkers defenseman in scoring and has five points in his last five games. ... Justin Shugg (16-15-31) has eight points in his last nine contests. ... Tonight's game will be Brendan Woods' 99th as a professional. ... Tonight is the sixth of eight regular-season games between the Griffins and Checkers. Grand Rapids has won four of the five games thus far. ... The Griffins are 17-1-3-0 over their last 21 and currently sit first in the Western Conference.

Checkers lines:  

Zach Boychuk-Brody Sutter-Patrick Brown
Brock McGinn-Brendan Woods- Justin Shugg
Phil Di Giuseppe-Ben Holmstrom-Alex Aleardi
Kyle Hagel-Sean Dolan-Jared Staal

Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Mike Cornell
Austin Levi-Beau Schmitz

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse

Healthy scratches: Carter Sandlak

Injured/out: Forwards Chad LaRose (upper Body) and Greg Nemisz (knee) and defenseman Keegan Lowe (undisclosed) have been ruled out of Thursday's game due to injuries.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Game 60: Grand Rapids Griffins at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers (23-30-5-1), Griffins (35-17-6-1)

The Charlotte Checkers will close out a five-game home stand with back-to-back showdowns with the Western Conference-leading Grand Rapids Griffins beginning on Tuesday and Thursday. The Checkers are 2-1 on their current home stand and have won five of their last six overall at Time Warner Cable Arena to bring their season home record to 16-12-2.

*The Observer released a profile on Checkers' rookie forward Brock McGinn today online. It will run in print on Wednesday.

Recent Transactions: none.

Notes: Reigning AHL goal-scoring champion Zach Boychuk has found his scoring touch of late with six goals and nine points in his last ten games. Boychuk is the Checkers' all-time leader with 112 goals in 267 games played. He is currently riding a four-game point streak, tied for the longest active streak on the team with Trevor Carrick (2G, 3A). Carrick currently leads all Checkers defensemen in goals (6) and points (19) and is tied for seventh among AHL rookie blue liners in scoring. ... Patrick Brown recorded his first pro fight during Charlotte's 4-2 win over Norfolk on Sunday. ... Charlotte's 7-18-4 mark on the road is the worst in the AHL this season. ... Following Thursday's game, the Checkers will take off on their longest road trip of the season, beginning Saturday in Oklahoma City. ... The Griffins are 9-0-1-0 over their last 10 games and enter Charlotte well rested after a 3-2 overtime win over the Rockford Ice Hogs on Saturday.

Checkers lines: 

Zach Boychuk-Brody Sutter-Patrick Brown
Brock McGinn-Brendan Woods- Justin Shugg
Phil Di Giuseppe-Ben Holmstrom-Alex Aleardi
Kyle Hagel-Sean Dolan-Jared Staal

Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Mike Cornell
Austin Levi-Beau Schmitz

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse

Healthy scratches: Kyle Hagel

Injured/out: Forwards Gabriel Desjardins (undisclosed), Chad LaRose (upper Body) and Greg Nemisz (knee) and defenseman Keegan Lowe (undisclosed) have been ruled out of Tuesday's game due to injuries.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Game 59: Norfolk Admirals at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Sunday, 1 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers (22-30-5-1), Admirals (22-29-4-3)

The Charlotte Checkers entered Thursday’s contest in search of a franchise-best fifth-straight home win, but came up short, falling 5-2 to the San Antonio Rampage. The club will look to start another streak beginning Sunday afternoon when they host the Eastern Conference cellar-dwelling Norfolk Admirals.

Recent Transactions: none.

Notes: After taking a couple games to get back into rhythm following his return from the NHL midway through the season, Zach Boychuk has gotten back on track with six goals in his last nine games, including goals in three straight contests. … Rookie defenseman Trevor Carrick has points in a career-best three-straight games and goals in each of his last two. … The Checkers improved to 2-2-2 against Norfolk this season with a 4-3 shootout win in their last meeting on Feb. 16. Three of the last four matchups between the two clubs have gone to overtime. … Extra hockey could work in the Checkers’ favor, as goaltender Drew MacIntyre has been nearly perfect in shootouts this season, stopping 19 of 20. … The Admirals are winless in their last four contests and 3-5-1-1 over their last 10. … Sunday is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day for the Checkers and there will be a postgame skate with the team. Cost of admission is $5 for those bringing their own skates and $7 for those who need to rent. All proceeds benefit the Checkers Charitable Foundation.

Checkers lines: 

Zach Boychuk-Brody Sutter-Patrick Brown
Brock McGinn-Brendan Woods- Justin Shugg
Phil Di Giuseppe-Ben Holmstrom-Alex Aleardi
Kyle Hagel-Sean Dolan-Jared Staal

Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Mike Cornell
Austin Levi-Beau Schmitz

Drew MacIntyre  
John Muse

Healthy scratches: Carter Sandlak

Injured/out: Forwards Gabriel Desjardins (undisclosed), Chad LaRose (upper Body) and Greg Nemisz (knee) and defenseman Keegan Lowe (undisclosed) have been ruled out of Sunday’s matchup due to injuries.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Game 58: San Antonio Rampage at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Thursday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers (22-29-5-1), Rampage (31-19-5-1)

The Checkers are looking for their fifth-straight win at Time Warner Cable Arena tonight and they'll have the services of left wing Brock McGinn, who served his one-game suspension for charging on last night. McGinn has been on fire as of late with five goals in his last seven games.

Zach Boychuk and Trevor Carrick scored in regulation for the Checkers in last night's win before Danny Biega netted the deciding shootout goal. Drew MacIntyre stopped 40 of 42 shots on the night and was named the game's 1st Star.

Recent Transactions: none.

Notes: The Checkers improved to 2-2-2 against San Antonio this season with last night's 3-2 shootout win. Drew MacIntyre has been in net for each game, posting a 2.39 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. He has now stopped 19 of 20 in the shootout this season. … Zach Boychuk has seven points (5g, 2a) in his last eight games, including three power-play goals in his last four … The Rampage's game-tying goal in the third period ended the Checkers’ streak of 20 consecutive penalties killed (seven full games) since their last power-play goal allowed on Feb. 12. It was their second-longest streak of the season. … Mike Cornell earned his 250th professional penalty minute with a second-period fight on Wednesday… For more Checkers thoughts, see today's earlier post.

Checkers lines: 

Zach Boychuk-Brody Sutter-Patrick Brown
Brock McGinn-Brendan Woods- Justin Shugg
Phil Di Giuseppe-Ben Holmstrom-Alex Aleardi
Kyle Hagel-Sean Dolan-Jared Staal

Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Beau Schmitz
Austin Levi-Mike Cornell

John Muse
Drew MacIntyre      

Healthy scratches: Carter Sandlak

Injured/out: Chad LaRose (upper body), Keegan Lowe (undisclosed) Greg Nemisz (out for season - knee), Gabriel Desjardins (undisclosed). 

Some Checkers thoughts...

Some lingering thoughts following the Charlotte Checkers' 3-2 shootout win over the San Antonio Rampage on Wednesday night...

Excluding a shaky second period, a short-handed Checkers squad played some quality hockey in what was an exciting win on Wednesday. The only problem was, just about no one saw. Wednesday's paid attendance was 3,056.

The game was a perfect example of why the team moving to the Bojangles Coliseum next season should be a good thing for everyone.

As is, the Checkers share Time Warner Cable Arena with the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, who act as the arena's main tenant. As such, the Hornets get first pick when it comes prime scheduling days, leaving the Checkers with whatever's left.

This season, and especially this month, what's left has been a ticket salesman's nightmare.

The Checkers are one game into a current five-game home stand. Here's the days they're set to play on: Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Yikes.

A member of the Checkers' staff walked by the media section on Wednesday night, scanned the largely empty arena, and shrugged.

"Safe to say you won't see a home stand like this next season," he said.

And he should be right, as the main tenants of Bojangles, the Checkers should be able to secure whatever home dates they'd like and that's important for a team that's seen its average attendance drop three seasons in a row.

Charlotte currently ranks 12th in the AHL in average attendance (5,537). That's a little more than 730 tickets a game down from last year's pace, when the team drew the seventh most fans in the AHL. The team could sellout its 10 remaining home games and still not hit last year's attendance mark (241,685).

---

Changing gears, it's tough not to feel for veteran forward Chad LaRose, who was injured during a collision that occurred during last Tuesday's practice. LaRose was leading the Checkers in points (31) and goals (16) and might have made a nice late-season addition for an NHL team looking for a fourth-line forward and some special teams help.

"LaRose is a leader for us," Checkers coach Jeff Daniels said on Wednesday. "He's got the experience... and he did a lot of good stuff for us. He's around and checking in on the guys to see how they're doing, but injuries happen and call-ups happen. We've just got to find a way to be ready to go."

---

Both Brendan Woods and Patrick Brown have started to see time at the wing as of late. It's been something Daniels has wanted to experiment with all season, but the team's lack of depth at center had prevented, both played well in their new roles on Wednesday.

---

Checkers goaltender Drew MacIntyre has stopped 19 of 20 in the shootout this season. He had lost seven of his last eight games entering Wednesday.

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Scouts love what they've seen from rookie defenseman Trevor Carrick. Carrick scored his fifth goal of the season on Wednesday and has recorded the most penalty minutes of any Checkers' rookie this season. He's a guy that will be fun to watch as he matures.

While on the topic of Checkers' rookies, I get the feeling left wing Brock McGinn -- who has been red hot as of late -- may get a look in Carolina sooner than later. McGinn, 21, ranks tied for fourth on the Checkers and first among rookies with 19 points. He is tied for third on the team with 10 goals, five of which have come in his last seven games.

---

Here's an excerpt of Paul Branecky's story on Checkers broadcaster Jason Shaya moonlighting as an AHL goaltender.

On the first day of training camp during the latter part of the Checkers’ ECHL era, a New York Rangers prospect named David Urquhart heard the locker room chatter and was confused. Finally, he approached one of the team’s goalies.  
“Why do they call you the radio guy?” he asked. 
“Because I am the radio guy,” Jason Shaya recalls saying that day, aware of the apparent absurdity of the situation. “He was probably taking shots on Henrik Lundqvist three weeks earlier and now he’s down in the ECHL taking shots on me.” 

It's an interesting read that I highly recommend if you have some free time. Here's a vine of former NHL 50-goal scorer Dany Heatley beating Shaya over the right blocker.



Shaya's response to this vine was pretty great as well...

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Game 57: San Antonio Rampage at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Wednesday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers (21-29-5-1), Rampage (31-19-5-0)

The Checkers headed north of the boarder riding a season-long three-game winning streak, but were humbled by the Marlies, who outscored them 10-4 in a two-game sweep before splitting two games in Hamilton. Charlotte now returns home, where it has won its last three contests for a mid-week back-to-back with San Antonio.

Both Keegan Lowe and Chad LaRose suffered injuries during the Toronto trip that will likely keep them out for extended time. LaRose, who currently leads the Checkers in points (31) and goals (16), may be lost for the season. The Checkers aren't disclosing the veteran's injury, but it occurred during practice last Tuesday.

"There’s no timeline, but they’re both going to miss some time," Charlotte coach Jeff Daniels told the team's website. "It’s nothing day-to-day, it’s probably more week-to-week."

Checkers' rookie LW Brock McGinn will serve his one-game suspension for a charging penalty that took place during a game at Hamilton on Feb. 28. The suspension is McGinn's second this season for an illegal hit.

Recent Transactions: Defenseman Rasmus Rissanen was recalled by Carolina on March 2. ... Tuesday afternoon, the team signed center Sean Dolan to a professional tryout contract. Dolan, 27, played 142 total games for Charlotte between the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons, scoring 31 points (14g, 17a) and recording 89 penalty minutes. The center, who has missed the majority of this season due an injury suffered in training camp with his ECHL club in South Carolina, made his season debut on Feb. 21 and has scored two points, both goals, in five games with the Stingrays. ... Defenseman Austin Levi was also added to the Checkers roster on Tuesday.

Notes: Despite scoring three or more goals in five of their last seven games, the Checkers entered Tuesday tied for the worst goals-per-game average (2.20) in the AHL. … Charlotte goaltender Drew MacIntyre is 1-7 over his last eight starts and has allowed three or more goals in all seven losses. … MacIntyre’s backup, John Muse, is 5-2 over his last seven, with a 2.28 goals-against average. … The Checkers have killed 19 consecutive penalties over their last seven games. The streak is tied for the longest this season by the team. … Charlotte's penalty kill ranks ninth in the league at 85.8 percent. … After going 29 games without a goal (Nov. 30) and 20 games without a point (Dec. 29), Checkers rookie forward Brock McGinn has five goals in his last eight games (5g, 1a). … Since returning from the ECHL's Florida Everblades on Jan. 4, forward Alex Aleardi has 14 points (8g, 6a) in 19 games, including eight in his last nine (5g, 3a). … The Rampage (178), who have gone 5-4-1 over their last 10, have scored 55 more goals than Charlotte (123) this season, which is tops in the AHL.

Checkers lines: 

Zach Boychuk-Brody Sutter-Patrick Brown
Justin Shugg-Brendan Woods-Jared Staal
Phil Di Giuseppe-Ben Holmstrom-Alex Aleardi
Kyle Hagel-Sean Dolan-Carter Sandlak

Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Beau Schmitz
Austin Levi-Mike Cornell

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse

Healthy scratches: none.

Injured/out: Chad LaRose (missing his third-straight game), Keegan Lowe (missing his second in a row) Greg Nemisz (out for season - knee), Gabriel Desjardins.